Shaft for the air flow cooling of fibers spun from a polymeric melt



v May ZO, 1969 .M.PoLov:1-s: 1-AL 4 SHAFT FOR THE AIR FLOW COOLING OFFIBERS "SPUN FROM A POLYMERIC MELT Filed March 1, 1967 Sheet I of s May20,1969 M. PbLovETs ETAL 3,

. SHAFT FOR THE AIR FLOW COOLING .OF FIBERS SPUN FROM A POLYMERIC MELT Filed March 1, 1967 Sheet Z. of s May 20, 1969 FROM A POLYMERIC MELT L. M. POLOVETS ETAL 3,444,587 SHAFT FOR THE AIR FLOW COOLING OF FIBERS SPUN Sheet Filed March 1, 1967 F/ai United States Patent 3,444,587 SHAFT FOR THE AIR FLOW COOLING OF FIBERS SPUN FROM A POLYMERIC MELT Lidia Mikhailovna Polovets, ul. Aviatsii 26, kv. 3; Valentina Ilinichna Belitchenko, ul. Popudrenko 66, kv. and Ljudmila Vasilievna Legut, ul. Shevchenko 47, kv. 7, all of Chernigov, U.S.S.R.

Filed Mar. 1, 1967, Ser. No. 619,817 Int. Cl. D01f 7/06 US. Cl. 18-8 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device to remove volatile matter evolved as synthetic fibers are spun and the fibers are cooled by a fiow of air. A source of air under pressure introduces air to flow generally horizontally into a cooling shaft for the fibers, and a vapor collecting means is positioned at the top of the shaft opposite the source of air. The collecting means including a suction connection and a water connection, and having at least one elongated slot-shaped opening extending parallel to the movement of the fiber as it is formed.

The present invention relates to shafts for the cooling of fibers spun from a polymeric melt with an air fiow and, more particularly, to shafts for cooling fibers spun from polymeric melt, which shafts are provided with a chamber serving to catch volatiles liberated in the fiber making.

Shafts for cooling fibers by means of an air flow are known in the art which comprise a pressure chamber, a blow chamber, and an annular chamber for catching vapors of volatile materials disposed between the spinneret and the blow chamber of the shaft and provided with a slot extending about the entire periphery, said slot embracing the bunch of fibers emerging from the spinneret of the spinning machine (cf. Authors Certificate, U.S.S.R., No. 152,939, C1. 2912, 6

The main disadvantage of the known shafts is that the arrangement of the slot being about the entire periphery of the annular chamber causes a vortex motion of vapors or volatile materials and a disturbance of the circulation of the air flow in the upper portion of the blow chamber. Such a disturbance adversely affects the quality of fibers being spun, i.e. causes an increased non-uniformity of the fiber count and a decrease of the fiber strength.

The arrangement of the device for catching volatiles between the spinneret and the blow chamber results in the choking up of the device with crystals of caprolactam, which renders the operation of the device unstable.

An object of the present invention is to provide a shaft whose catching chamber would insure intensive and uniform catching of vapors.

An important object of the invention is to provide a shaft whose catching chamber would not impair the quality of fibers being spun.

A further object of the invention is to provide a shaft whose catching chamber would be reliable in operation and easy to service.

Said objects are accomplished due to the fact that in the shaft for air flow cooling of fibers wherein vapors of volatile materials liberated in the course of fiber molding are aspirated by means of a catching chamber disposed in the upper portion of the blow chamber and provided with a slot-shaped opening for the removal of vapors, the catching chamber disposed in the upper portion of the blow chamber is mounted at the side opposite to the air flow feed, and at least one slot-shaped opening is made in one of the walls of the catching chamber so that the aspiration of vapors of volatile materials is effected in the direction of the flow of air.

It is expedient to arrange the slot-shaped opening in one of the walls of the catching chamber so that it is oriented in the direction of travel of fibers in the blow chamber.

The wall in which the slot-shaped opening is provided may be U-shaped in cross-section and inclined to the di rection of the air flow.

Said wall may also be corrugated, with slot-shaped openings provided in each of the corrugations thereof.

For a better understanding of the present invention, the following is a description of one particular embodiment thereof with reference being made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a general view of the shaft (side elevation);

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the catching chamber of the shaft;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the catching chamber;

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the catching chamber; and

FIG. 5 is a section taken on line V-V of FIG. 4.

The shaft for cooling fibers spun from a polymeric melt comprises a pressure chamber 1 (FIG. 1), a blow chamber 2 communicating therewith, and a chamber 3 for catching vapors of volatiles, e.g. of caprolactam, which evolve in the process of fiber molding. Said chamber 3 is disposed in the upper portion of the blow chamber 2 on the side opposite to the air flow feed and has a wall 4 inclined with respect to the direction of travel of caprolactam vapors being aspirated. The wall 4 is U- shaped in cross-section (as shown in FIG. 3) and has a slot-shaped opening 5 provided therein along the height of the chamber 3 so that the catching of caprolactam vapors is effected in the direction of the air flow.

To make the chamber 3 hermetically tight, it is provided with a cover 6 (FIG. 2) and a bottom 7. The chamber 3 is also provided with a union 8 to supply water necessary for removing caprolactam crystals and with a bent plate 9 fixed with one of its ends to a side wall 10 of the chamber 3. Dissolved crystals of caprolactam, vapors and air are removed through suction connection pipe 11.

According to the second embodiment of the catching chamber 3' (FIGS. 4 and 5), its wall 4' is corrugated, the corrugations thereof each being provided with a slot-shaped opening 12 disposed on the crests (in FIG. 5) of said corrugations at the side of the air inflow into the catching chamber 3', due to which the catching of caprolactam vapors is effected more intensively and uniformly. To insure a uniform washing away of caprolactam crystals, a perforated pipe 13 connected with the union 8 serving for water supply is installed in the chamber 3'.

According to both the first and second embodiments, the catching chamber is fixed by means of securing members .14 (FIG. 1) to the side wall of the chamber 2 and to spinning head 15. The direction of travel of fibers and air inside the shaft is indicated by arrows A and B, respectively.

The shaft of the invention operates as follows.

On leaving the spinneret 16 of the head 15 the fiber is fed into the flow chamber 2 where it is cooled by means of the air flow supplied from the pressure chamber '1. Caprolactam vapors evolving in the course of fiber forming are caught by means of the chamber 3. Passing through the slot-shaped openings 5 (FIG. 3) provided in the wall 4, caprolactam vapors and air are removed by a fan (not shown) through the pipe 11. When performed in accordance with the second embodiment of the invention, the shaft operates in a similar manner.

What is claimed is:

1. A shaft for the air flow cooling of fibers spun from a polymeric melt, comprising a suction connection; a blow chamber intended for fiber molding having an air flow feed means at one side; a catching chamber connected to said suction connection serving to catch volatile materials liberated in the course of fiber molding, said catching chamber being disposed in the upper portion of said blow chamber on the side thereof opposite to the air flow feed means; at least one slot-shaped opening in the wall of said catching chamber facing said blow chamber so that the aspirating of vapors of volatile materials takes place in the direction of the air flow.

2. A shaft as claimed in claim 1, wherein the slotshaped opening in one of the walls of the catching chamber is parallel to the direction of travel of fibers in the blow chamber.

3. A shaft as claimed in claim 2, wherein the wall 4 of the catching chamber in which the opening is provided, is U-shaped in cross-section and inclined with respect to the direction of the air flow.

4. A shaft as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wall of said catching chamber in which the slot-shaped opening is provided is corrugated, one said slot-shaped opening being provided in each of the corrugations thereof.

References Cited 10 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,341,615 2/1944 Hoffman 188 3,070,839 1/1963 Thompson 188 3,320,243 5/1967 Buschmann et al. 188 X 15 WILLIAM J. STEPHENSON, Primary Examiner. 

